Sir, - As the abortion debate opens again, Mary Holland's hope for a tolerant national debate (Opinion, November 5th) and William Binchy's call for a spirit of good will and mutual respect (Opinion, November 12th), will receive a positive response from the Christian Centrist Party.
We have looked at the opposition's main objection, i.e. the possible risk to the life of an expectant mother, which is as inviolable as the life of the child in her womb. We believe that an amendment to Article 40-3-3, on the following lines, would cover the rights of the mother and her unborn child, and prove acceptable to most reasonable people:
"It shall be unlawful to terminate the life of an unborn.
"Where there is real and substantive risk, through illness, or physical disorder, to the life of the expectant mother (excluding risk of self destruction), she must receive the urgent medical treatment which is indispensable for the saving of her life, even when the treatment puts the life of the child at risk." - Yours, etc.,
Frank Flanagan,
Chairperson,
Christian Centrist Party,
Martin's Grove,
Dublin 7.
